


The Hatchling

by MsKittyBlack



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bad guys, Harry and Clint/Father Son, Harrys a wizard, Non cannon compliant after AoU, Secret Intelligence Service | MI6, Undercover Missions, post Age of Ultron
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:29:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22532500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsKittyBlack/pseuds/MsKittyBlack
Summary: When arms dealer Anton Baclovitch murders a seemingly insignificant MI6 agent, and the Avengers are drafted to assist in the investigation, one team member will be unexpectedly reunited with their past. Can they overlook their history for the benefit of the investigation or will their emotions cloud their judgment? WARNING SPOILERS. Post Age of Ultron.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Merrick Mayfair](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Merrick+Mayfair).



Chapter 1

It was the end of a long hot day, and Clint Barton propped his feet up on the decking, happily swigging on a cold bottle of beer. It had been 10 years since the team had found out about his family and the 'Ultron Incident' had been dealt with. The Avengers, though no longer active as a team, kept in touch and regularly met up with each other. Steve and Natasha had continued working with the New Avengers team, and things were progressing nicely. Steve had also taken to acting as a consultant between Midgard and Asgard due to the fact he never aged, and was finally beginning to settle down somewhere, Tony often joked that eventually Steve would pluck up the courage to ask Lady Sif to dinner.

Tony himself had gone on to continue doing what he did best, and Stark Industries had never been more successful. Since the Incident he and Pepper had married and had a son, Jason, who was now 4 years old. Bruce had been found eventually, working on the farms in the Middle East and he had agreed that though he would stay there for now, he would always come if he was needed. As for Thor, well it turned out that Loki was being manipulated just as much as Clint and Selvig had been, so had been welcomed back by his older brother with open arms. After Thor had taken up the title of King and All Father, Loki had taken up his position as Chief Advisor to him, though he had yet to marry much to Thor's consternation. Thor had married Jane and had only recently welcomed their first child, Beragon, a healthy boy into the realm. So far, however, Jane had not made any decisions about possible immortality.

Unbeknownst to all the Avengers, new and old, not everything was perfect in the Barton household. Clint and Lauren had been married 18 years by now and Lewis, who had been 12 when Ultron had hit, was now 22 and working in the military as Naval Intelligence. Amelia, who had been 8 when Lewis was 12, was 18 and just leaving high school, going to study Medicine in an aim to become a surgeon. Adam who was now 20, and 10 at the 'Ultron Incident', was incredibly good at sport and languages and was, like his sister, looking into a medical degree, with a view to working overseas as a medical translator. Their youngest, Nathaniel, wanted to be an astronaut, but was very disappointed when browsing through his sibling's university prospectuses he found no such course.

It was not common knowledge that Barton had a wife and kids, even less that at the time that he and Lauren had married, Barton already had a son age 8 years old; a troubled young boy with curious green eyes and moppy black hair. The Avengers joked that the 'hatchlings' as Tony had nicknamed them, would eventually fly the nest. This caused a small twinge of pain for Clint as he thought of Harry, his 'hatchling' that had already flown the nest. Flown all the way to England as it happens. Though Clint was apparently not allowed to know anything else about what Harry did, which incessantly irked him.

It was why they were in their current situation of standing once again on the helicarrier, surrounded by the original Avengers. Nat was giving Bruce the death glare that would kill him three times over, for leaving the way he did after Ultron had been dealt with. Fury walked in, trench coat billowing behind him in the typically over dramatic nature that was rivalled by only Stark himself. He came to a halt in front of the table.

"Stark. Banner. Barton. Romanov. Rodgers. Good to know you are all here for once. We have an issue. A request for aid has been issued by the UK. MI6 to be precise. A group of agents have been investigating an arms dealer called Anton Baclovitch." Natasha's eyes widened in horror. Baclovitch was a name that everyone in the business knew, more importantly though they feared him. "His codename within the spy community is 'Snake' as I'm sure that Romanov is aware. This is the first time someone has had a real shot at bring this SOB down."

It was then that Tony stepped forward, looking intently at the surveillance photos of Baclovitch, "So who was stupid enough to go after him? If he's as dangerous as you say he is then why would someone go after him? I'm all for bringing down terrorist and arms dealers, but why risk it?" Fury nodded, turning to the screen behind him he brought up a picture of a young man, who looked to only in his early twenties. He returned his gaze back to the team.

"Because of him." It was Bruce that realised he was already dead, letting out a mutter of 'Jesus' under his breath, at the horrifically young age at which he had lost his life.

"Who is he?" asked Barton, speaking for the first time.

"His name is Special Agent Joshua Portmill. He was murdered at the age of 24 in his home in Surrey. Luckily his wife and unborn child were not home and so went unharmed... well as unharmed as losing a father and husband can be. He was investigating a linked terrorist group and came upon the supply chain, connecting directly back to the Snake. 24 hours later he's tortured to death. Our intel says that they probably didn't get any information from him, so the investigation has been taken up by his training partner and good friend."

It was Natasha that responded, the others were still too shocked to say anything. "Who is he - the agent?"

Fury shook his head in annoyance. "That we don't know, what we do know is that he is a Special Agent, trained with this young man and his partner on many occasions. They won't give us a name until we touch down in London and get briefed at MI6 headquarters." He handed each of the members a file with the critical information they needed to know.

Steve stood first, saying "Well, we only have three hours before we leave so I'm off home to pack my gear. Meet back here in two hours, okay everyone." The team nodded and slowly dispersed to say goodbyes and collect their clothes and other necessities.

Agent Hill turned to Fury, a questioning look on her face. "Sir, if I'm not mistaken, you know the identity of the agent they're meeting with, why keep it a secret?" Hill went to stand next to him. Fury let out a deep breath before turning to Hill to answer her question.

"Agent Hill, are you aware of who the young man is? Are you aware that he has connections to this team? Specifically Agent Barton." He turned away to bring up a file and scroll through it. She hung her head slightly, not knowing that specific piece of information

"I was unsure how Barton would react, he never agreed to the path that this particular Agent took." People who didn't know Fury very well would not have picked up on the hint of sadness in his voice. Hill, having worked with him and mentored by him for many years before knew all the indicators to regret that Fury was showing. It was the amount of regret her father figure was showing that shocked her. The raw emotion, for Fury anyway, jarred her, leaving her uncertain of what to say or do in this situation. Opting to leave it alone she nodded and turned to leave to prepare for the team's departure.


	2. Chapter 2

Outside by the cars Natasha had noticed something off about Clint. He kept zoning out during the briefing and had made no sarcastic or rude comments about working with other agencies. It was unnerving to say the least. While in thought she was unaware of Clint looking at her and asking her a question. She snapped out of her train of thought saying, "What?"

"You looked deep in thought is all." Clint shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing, just thinking that you've been quiet today." She was unsure as to whether he would actually answer. They usually had a code of silence on these types of things, but they were about to go on a mission and she needed his head on straight.

"I'm good." Was all he said.

"And you're sure that there's nothing else that's going to be an issue, right?" She looked at him as they continued walking.

He glanced at her saying, "No Nat. I'm good, honest." He smiled broadly the laughed, the sudden change in demeanour immediately sent up red flags to Natasha. So she played along and they relapsed into a comfortable silence as they walked together.

"Because if you need to tell me something or just talk then I would listen, you know that, right?" she said glancing at him again, they looked at one another as if assessing the other or the situation. Clint looked strangely at her, Natasha hesitated as if unsure as to whether to push it further or to let it drop. Clint dropped the eye contact and let his head hang slightly, drawing himself back up Natasha was disappointed at the emotional mask he now had in place.

"Do you want to go individually to collect our stuff or split up and meet at my place?" He pulled to a stop next to his car, awaiting her answer. The sudden change in topic surprised her and made her pause for a minute as she caught up to the new direction of the conversation.

"I'll go to my place and drive round to yours when I'm done." She said turning back to her car and giving him a small and uncertain smile before she started the engine and drove off leaving.

Clint stood there unsure of whether or not she was pissed at him. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, he just couldn't. It hurt too much. The fact that he hadn't heard from Harry since he had left for training angered Clint, he had raised Harry from a boy as best he could. He was like a son to Clint, and he couldn't even be bothered to call, e-mail, text to let him know he was okay, though he knew he wasn't dead because he hadn't gotten a call as next of kin, a small comfort he supposed.

He was pulled from his thought process when he pulled into the road leading to his house. It was quieter than he remembered now that two out of four, well five if he counted Harry, had left the nest. He opened the door and climbed out of the car. Closing the door he went to the trunk to pick up his work kit to add to his duffle bag, and began to head indoors. He was met at the door by Lauren, who stood there in a pair of track bottoms and a vest top, clutching a mug of what he presumed to be coffee. She smiled and walked over to the car and laid a gentle kiss on his lips, Clint smiled into the kiss, letting out a soft murmur of approval, before she pulled away and took his hand leading him up to the house.

"I take it by the bag and your spectacularly grouchy face that you have to go on a mission now?" she looked at him, a small forced smile on her face. She brought his head round to look at her, she saw not anger but hurt and that surprised her. Cocking her head slightly she asked, "What is it? Is it the mission or something else?"  
He looked her in the eye before sighing and deflating slightly, he knew he had to tell her what it was. That she was feeling the same thing, but admitting to her just how much he felt, the anger, the betrayal, the hurt. He would never admit it but the silence that Harry had put on the rest of the family had done damage that most likely would never be fixed. "It's Harry. We'd be celebrating his 26 birthday if he were here. We don't even have a way of wishing him happy birthday anymore. And I'm conflicted. I don't know whether to be angry or worried."

Lauren continued to walk with Clint to their bedroom. As he began to collect the things he needed and through them into the duffle, he started to think. "I picked up his present last week, as usual. I was thinking when I got it, a present for every year and birthday, he'd hate that he has a pile of presents waiting for him." He laughed slightly as he was engulfed in a memory, the memory of his and Harry's first Christmas together when he was age 7.

"Hey buddy, come on! Up we get!" Clint bombarded the sleeping boy with tickling and an overly loud voice. The young boy grumbled slightly, it caught Clint unaware, that at the age of 7 the only reason he got up is to do breakfast, well if Clint was going to have anything to do with it, he'd make Harry a Christmas crazy young man in no time.

30 minutes later and Harry was eagerly ripping open the wrapping to each of presents off, after getting permission from Clint to be a destructive as he wanted. He looked, played and assessed each of the individual presents as he un-wrapped them. He thanked Clint over and over for each present he received.

"Thank you Dad, it amazing! I love it! Thank you!" He leapt up and tackled the older man, knocking him over, they both laughed as they went down.

It had been a fantastic day and forever one that stayed in his memories. Sadly though after 11 years of exchanging a single present before he left, because that was all Clint could get Harry to agree to regularly without making the young boy feel uncomfortable, he couldn't break the tradition. Not even after Harry left.

Suddenly he was pulled from his thoughts by someone coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his body. Lauren laid her head against his, gently tracing invisible patterns on his chest with her thumb. Clint lead back slightly enjoying the calming effect that she was having on his already frayed nerves. He was about to turn around and lay a gentle kiss on her lips when the doorbell rang and a happy 16 year old answered and let the person in.

Nat called up to Clint, "Barton, come on! We need to get going!" He sighed and shook his head and turned to pick up his duffle bag, he held out his hand to walk out with Lauren. They met by the door as Natasha picked the duffle up and went to put it in the car, leaving the family with some privacy to say goodbye. Adam stepped forward first giving his father a firm hug and a whisper of good luck and waited while Nathanial also bid his goodbyes and Clint placed a kiss on each of their forehead as he had always done when they were children. He gave them one more hug before they turned around and headed up the stairs, giving their parents some final alone time.

They turned to look at one another, pausing a moment before Clint drew Lauren into tight embrace they whispered words of reassurance to her. They kissed before he smiled at her saying the parting line of "I will be safe. I will not take stupid risks. I will come home." He leaded forward giving her one last kiss before finishing by saying "I love you."

She smiled at him, placing a hand on his chest "And I love you too. Now go and be safe, okay?" she was standing on the door step as Clint drove off in the 4x4, with Natasha in the front seat. She smiled at him and waved at him one last time before the car disappeared from view. She sighed and turned back into the house; sitting herself down on the sofa she contemplated how long he would be gone this time.


	3. Chapter 3

AN - So sorry about the delay in updates, lifes been crzay, so please enjoy. I own nothing as usual so sad times.

Chapter 3

It was an hour before the plane departed and the team had all arrived back at HQ, Pepper was in tow with 4 year old Jason Anthony Stark, clutching his trusty fluffy Iron Man teddy. Tony began to explain to the young boy what was going on and promising to phone him and talk to him as much as possible. Clint looked over to Natasha and nodded toward the SHIELD weapons room, as they made their way over to the room Clint wondered if he should explain what was going on, now that he and Lauren had talked. He felt he owed it to Nat to at least give her the basics.

As they reached the secure door, Natasha walked in front slightly and entered the required passcode and finger print to unlock the door. As the door locks released they both stepped inside and began to put the weapons they needed into the travel cases. Knowing that most of the weapons would be given to them when they reached the HQ in England, they packed only the specialized weapons like the throwing knives and other concealed weapons for Natasha and the bow and arrow, as well as spare equipment, for Clint. They worked quietly and efficiently. They were just about to leave when Clint stopped them both. Nat looked at him with confusion.  
“I just… I want to tell you the basics of what’s bothering me Nat, I just don’t know how to tell you.” Natasha was surprised; normally Clint was calm and confident. But any trace of the usual Agent Barton was gone, in its place a nervous and uncertain man was trying to tell her what was wrong. A strange situation indeed. She gave a small nod of encouragement that seemed to work as his shoulders relaxed and he took a deep breath before continuing, “When I was 24, the year before I married Lauren, I had a mission in England. I can’t tell you the specifics but what I can tell you is that I was alone in London for about 3 weeks. I was doing some recon of a hotel when I found a young boy, abandoned and alone in an alley. He was scared and thin and terrified of everything that moved. I managed to get him back to the hotel, to which I completed my mission and went back state side. With the boy.” 

Natasha was beyond surprise, the fact that Clint had broken rules within SHEILD and laws for this young man got her wondering. What was Clint trying to say? She looked up expectantly saying “Okay, what else.” 

The calm demeanour that Nat had kept was reassuring to say the least, the fact she hadn’t flew off the handle at him was always a good sign, though he could tell that she was conflicted. “I brought him back to America and adopted him. The family he used to have abused him, neglected him, it was years before he even began to think that he could eventually be a normal child. He grew up with Lauren and I, and looked after every one of his siblings as they came along. He was the perfect big brother.” Clint let out a sigh and glanced at his watch to check that they still had time, he was they had been gone for 30 minutes and so he slowly began to push the cart back to the loading bay and as they went he continued, “He left when he was 16. Got up one morning with a bag packed and said he had an offer from a specialized training program and that he was taking it. He said he’d call when he could and he’d stop by as much as possible. Thinking we would see him again soon we gave him a hug and wished him good luck and he boarded a plane three hours later. That was the last time any of us saw him.”

Natasha and Clint stopped at the ramp leading up to the plane and made their way up. They slowly began to unpack the equipment into the storage area. Natasha, curious as to the ending of the story asked, “Do you know why he never contacted you?”

Clint shook his head, “No. We do know he’s not dead though because we haven’t had a notification of next of kin. Though in those 10 years he’s been gone it’s highly likely that he could have changed it.” The regret in his voice was painfully obvious to Natasha, and worried her even more. Clint was very closed off about his emotions when on the job and here he was baring them for the world to see. It showed Natasha just how much pain her partner was in.

He looked at her one last time saying, “We would have been celebrating his 26th birthday in a week if he were home.” Before he turned away and headed back down the ramp.

Natasha caught up to his side and calmly laid a hand on his shoulder. She said “I’m sorry, Clint.” In an unusually soft voice. 

Once they had received their briefing packets on the current status of the op and crucial op notes they needed to know to be of use, everyone bid the agents watching, Pepper and Jason along with Fury and Hill a vague wave of goodbye, before closing up the ramp to the plane and making their way to the seats. For once Clint and Nat weren’t piloting the jet. Clint kind of wished he could though, to take his mind of Harry. He briefly scanned through the op notes, having already read the majority of them, he then went to the section of the dead agent. 

His record was impressive for a 24 year old agent. He already had assisted in one major take down, the assassination of a Dr Mikhail Gretniev. A well-known doctor who specialized in developing torture techniques, specifically using the illusion of pain through medicines, like hallucinogenic drugs and similar substances to break a subject.

The image was quiet striking as well, a young man with blond hair in a military cut and deep blue eyes looked out, the harsh red stamp of ‘DECEASED’ across his handsome face brought Clint up short. It was a stark reminder of the brutality of their line of work. A fact he often lost sight of, due to having made most of his career without life threatening injuries.

Clint closed the folder and put it back on the side of the plane. Taking a long sip from the overly chilled bottle of water he leant back in his chair, breathing deeply he relaxed into the calm darkness of his mind. Closing his eyes he drifted off to peaceful slumber, awaiting the typical shake of the shoulder from Natasha alerting him that they were about to land. Conscious of the fact he would most likely soon become sleep deprived because of the case he allowed the sleep to engulf him.

Steve leaned over to Natasha and in a quiet voice asked, “Is he good?” Natasha was about to turn and snarl at him that he had no right to poke his 100 year old nose in business that didn’t involve him, before he quickly threw his hands up and added, “I didn’t ask what was wrong, I asked if he was good.” Natasha looked him in the eye, assessing him she nodded.

“He will be.” And she turned away and closed her eyes to enter a meditative state and to review the fact she knew in preparation for the mission. If she had listened to her gut, she would have acknowledged that not everything felt right in her mind. But she didn’t.


	4. Chapter 4

AN - So two chapters in one day to make up for teh rediculous wait in between the updates, as usual in own nothing so please enjoy

Chapter 4

It was roughly 8-9 hours later that Clint felt the tell-tale shake of his shoulder by Natasha as she alerted him to their imminent arrival in England. Clint groaned and mumbled an incoherent “I’m up, I’m up!” He leaned the chair back to its normal position and reached for his now warm bottle of water, taking a large sip he grimaced at the stiffness in his shoulders. Flexing slightly in an attempt to relieve the ache in his shoulders, he managed to heave his sleep addled body from the chair and to the toilets.

“Back in a minute, going to splash some water on my face.” He made his way to the toilet and turned on the tap. He looked up and stared at the mirror, that look he got before a mission of pure concentration was now in place and was looking intently back at him. Scooping his hands under the tap to collect the water, he gasped when the abnormally cold water made in gasp and real back from the sink in shock. He repeated the action again, this time washing the back of his neck. He turned to the towels and caught sight of Natasha waiting it the door way.  
He picked the towel from the railing and rubbed his face and neck dry, instantly feeling better now he left over drowsiness had dissipated. He looked at Nat, seeing she wanted to ask him something he waved his hand to indicate to her to continue. “After you fell asleep, Steve asked if you were good, and I told him you would be. Now I want to know if I made the right call, or if I should have told him that you couldn’t get Harry out of your head. Can you work like this Clint? Honestly.” She was still leaning, most likely in an attempt to look relaxed but he knew from the careful placement of her arms and the tightness in her shoulder that she was anything but relaxed.

Clint stopped and looked at Natasha. He would be lying to her if he said he was fine, that there was nothing wrong anymore. There would be no moments of uncertainty. He would also be lying if he said he was an utter mess, the feelings he was having about Harry were not new, not by any means. And he had developed a sort of coping mechanism for them over the years. But was he good to complete this mission? “I honestly don’t know. But I’m going to do the best I can, I’m sure of that much.”

She was conflicted. On one side she wanted to believe him that his obvious honesty was true. Then there was a doubt in the back of her mind that the blatant honesty was just a cover to fool her and he knew that he was breaking. Problem was that she didn’t know the difference. Natasha always used to working alone, but since being ‘saved’ by Clint she had learned the value of having a friend in the spy game. “Okay, good. We’ll be landing soon so you might want to sit down again.”

Clint nodded, placing the towel back down on the rail he turned to follow Natasha back to his seat. As he sat down he heard Tony on the phone to Jason, probably wising the young boy goodnight and a few hints on the construction of his first circuit board. Clint chuckled slightly to himself, remembering an afternoon spent in the field outside his house, teaching a 12 year old Harry to fire a shotgun. It took a while for him to handle the weapon, but after a few shots he had a good handle on it. It as a fond memory for Clint, and he remembered the laughter they had shared together when they came in to find a heavily pregnant Lauren, glaring at them from the kitchen. Apparently he hadn’t told Lauren what they were doing and had caused her to have a meltdown in the kitchen from fright when she had heard the gunshots.  
He let out an unknowing chuckle as he remembered the ass kicking that followed that particular escapade. He was brought from his trip down memory lane by Bruce looking at him strangely “You okay Barton?” Bruce had been keeping his distance lately, avoiding the cold front that Nat had been giving him lately. Clint totally agreed with Nat that leaving without saying goodbye was a dick move from Bruce’s part, though surprisingly he found himself rooting for the two of them. He hadn’t seen that much of a change in Nat for a long time. Happy and content in her life, with her companions. 

Clint turned to look at Bruce, “I will be, hopefully.” He turned to look at his team mate properly for the first time since he came back. He was tanned, and had more muscle most likely from the physical work he had been doing. Apparently allowing the other guy into his own personality gave him certain benefits, like an increased energy level that made him more inclined to physical work. Funny thing was that even Clint could see that Nat appreciated the new change, hopefully the two of them would work things out.

The sudden bounce of the plane as the tires touched down on the tarmac forced Clint to make eye contact with Bruce he leaned to his left and inclined his head towards Bruce, he muttered, “You want to fix things with her, you give her a proper explanation and promise that you won’t be a self-centred dick again and then wait for her to come to you. If she comes back that is.” Bruce looked at him, surprise on his face.

“Why would you help me? Everyone else thinks I deserve it.” Clint shrugged his shoulders in uncertainty. It was a good question, one that he didn’t quite know the answer to. After a minute he nodded his head and smiled.

“Nat’s practically been my little sister for going on 16 years now, and I have never seen her like she is with you. I’ve seen her at her highest and lowest and you are good for her, no matter what she may think.” Clint eventually said standing when he realised the plane had come to a halt. He went to the cargo area to ensure that the people unloading didn’t damage anything. He looked intently at the men who arrived dressed in black pants and black shirts he commented, “You damage anything and I will break you.” 

Nat and Bruce chuckled at the comment and then looked at one another, unsure as to the undeniably awkward atmosphere that had suddenly developed. Tony rolled his eyes, saying, “Just kiss and make out for the sake of the rest of us. Don’t think we’re going to survive much longer with all this sexual tension in the air!” He slipped on his jacket and followed Steve as they made their way to the exit.

Steve shook his head at Tony muttering to him “Really Stark?” in disbelief, before the doors opened and the Avengers disembarked.


	5. Chapter 5

Well I'm finally back. Working in a chain restaurant during Covid has defiantly not something that has been very enjoyable and so any time away from work is usually spent trying to tackle the mountain of things I have to do before my next shift but here's the next chapter anyway. Enjoy everyone and stay safe xx

Chapter 5

Their first view of England was not what they had been expecting the team had to admit. In replacement of the normal cold breeze and persistent drizzle that England was well known for was a clear and sunny day, with a slight refreshing breeze. Clint was surprised to say the least, if this was England then he thought he could get used to it. It was then that an older man stepped forward from the rest, a knowing smile on his face.

"Don't get used to it Agent Barton," He said as he approached them, "There's a reason why England has that sort of reputation when it comes to the weather. You're just lucky." He came to a halt directly in front of them. On inspection he was about 6ft2 in height with broad athletic shoulders. He carried himself well, so was probably military or ex-military. The carefully balanced posture indicated a formal training in martial arts. His features were handsome, though obviously scarred, so he must stay behind the scenes as a scar that obvious would not allow him to regularly go undercover anymore.

Steve nodded and held out his hand. "Evening, I'm Steve Rodgers. This is Dr Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton, though I think you already know that." Steve smiled and shook the hand of the Agent.

"I did and my name is Samuel Mirren. I am agent assigned to escort you back to base." He smiled and indicated to the convoy of black cars, indicating to the team get in. Tony looked at the man

"I'm sorry for the loss of your friend." He said to the man, assuming that he was indeed the one supposed to be picking them up as lead agent on the op.

Mirren smiled and shook his head at the team, "He wasn't my friend. The lead Agent you're looking for is back at base as some new Intel has come in and he needs to plan accordingly, so he asked me, as his other friend, to collect you." The team looked at him uncertainly and he chuckled at the obvious looks of distrust and offered the phone to Steve saying, "M's number is on there. Call and check, if you wish."

One phone call later and they were all on their way to base, watching the sites of London pass through the tinted windows.

As they crossed the Vauxhall Bridge, as Mirren had called it, they were met by the impressive sight of the building. Around 10 floors tall and made of white and green stone, to say it was an impressive sight would have been an understatement. Steve, as an avid sketcher, was amazed at the practicality and beauty of the building. As they began to round the building the inner glass structure of the main entrance was glimpsed as they passed, causing another intake of breath at the sheer impressive stance the building took along the river edge. It was indeed imposing and beautiful at the same time.

Mirren caught the looks of the team and began speaking "It's affectionately called by the agents 'Legoland' and was designed by Terry Farrell. The building was finished in April of 1994, and includes a labyrinth of underground tunnels. It has two moats for security evacuations and also includes a sports hall, gymnasium, aerobics studio, and a squash court." The last was said with a smile as the team final turned to look at him in shock.

Bruce looked at him, "A squash court?" He asked.

"Indeed, the M that was in charge at the time of its construction was quite the avid player and often enjoyed play a few matches against the agents before going home." He laughed at the small fact he gave to the team, only adding to their confusion, "Just a small piece of trivia."

A call from the front of the car alerted the team to their imminent arrival. A nod of conformation from Mirren had them approaching a checkpoint to the vehicle entrance of the building.

"Evening Todd," The driver said to the man who approached the window, he swiftly flashed the car ID badge as well as his own.

"Evening Casper, who have we got here?" The man looked over the car passenger manifest and peered into the back. Laughing in shock he exclaimed "Well bugger me backward, it really is the Avengers. Big fan of yours." Todd said, as he ticked of a check list and bid them goodbye.

"Sorry about that, the lower ranking member of MI6, everyone from cleaners to junior agents are rather excited to meet you." The driver – Casper, Clint reminded himself, said ruefully and the team just chuckled. They were all quite used to attention from others, in their line of work it was an occupational hazard.

Going past the check point and underground they made their way left toward a well-lit area. When the car came to a halt they waited, unsure as to normal procedure. Apparently that was the right move as not a moment later the door swung open and Mirren nodded to exit the car.

Taking in the entrance they were amazed at the view that met them. A finely crafted marble structure was behind them supporting the ceiling above. The entrance way was just as spectacular, though more practical. The stonework gave way to an open glass walkway. Hidden at the side within the walls was what Bruce presumed were the emergency gates. Typically they were made of steel and not so spectacular, though upon closer inspection as they entered he doubted even the other guy could break through them.

As they made their way through the building, often stopping to look at specific areas or to talk to people who wished to say thank you or good luck or simply just to greet them. Eventually the halls began to become smaller and less elaborate. They descended the stairs to an open area. In the centre was a hub, huge and circular with display panels above the consoles that face inwards. On the other side of the path surrounding the main console was an outer ring of individual computers. All around the edge of the room were doors, large oak doors Clint realized.

To say that the team was impressed was an understatement, Tony especially appreciated the technology set up. Though he had the same level of appreciation for SHIELD, being openly impressed in front of the agents would not do his persona any good. Here though he allowed himself to, as Pepper would say, drool over the gear.

Mirren once again spoke up explaining what they were seeing. "This particular room is solely dedicated to our op. We have video feeds, audio feeds, agent communication lines and people who co-ordinate with the leaders. You'll meet the lead agent when he come out of the briefing, word of warning though he is rather young. He is in charge of this op because he is the best man for it; he is very highly skilled and is deserving of your respect and my friend, okay." The team all nodded their acceptance but it was Natasha who spoke up.

"If he's that good then why the need to warn us?" the team looked up at that, it was after all a fair question. Mirren nodded his head before answering

"The last joint case he worked, the people who came in to assist believed he was to young and naïve to successfully do the job. That particular conversation led to a fist fight and many broken bones." He shook his head at the absurd nature of the situation. Steve looked slightly unnerved.

"Well maybe he is if he ends things in fist fights." The team noticed the change in atmosphere and the uncomfortable feeling of tension settled over them. Mirren looked at him sharply, resting both his hands on the metal rail he looked out over the room before he spoke.

"He wasn't involved; it was Agent Portmill who took exception to an insult like that. They were very good friends, so try to remember that. As much as he denies that it's not an issue he is still hurting." He paused for a moment letting out a rueful chuckle as he shook his head, "I suppose they were closer than brothers in most people's eyes." He turned to the team and looked at each of them saying, "He's a highly skilled agent and a true asset to this op. We're lucky to have him."

The Avengers all turned to look out over the railing as they watched the agents below going about their business. They were brought out of their individual musings by the creak of a large oak door.


End file.
